(The fanfiction site hasn't been allowing updates for a few days. I'm hoping you see this- if you are able to get this chapter could you leave a review or favorite/follow the story so I know if it worked? Thanks so much!)
The big quarter horse pranced a little as Kaylee rode him closer to the arena. She looked across the middle chute where a steer was contained and met Vin's eyes. He gave her a little nod of reassurance.
Kaylee's heart pounded and she steadied her mount. She had seen Vin's extra horse in action and knew he could probably haze the steer for Vin without her. But she was the one Vin had hired to ride and she had to do this.
"Ready?" Josiah called.
Kaylee nodded, saw Vin's nod from the corner of her eye. She had broke the barrier twice in practice times with Vin. If she ran out too early during the event, it would be an extra ten seconds added to Vin's time and there wouldn't be any chance of prize money for him. She told herself to calm down, the horse was clearly feeling her nerves.
She could hear the announcer's voice somewhere in the back of her mind, the cheers when Vin Tanner, Oklahoma cowboy on his way to the National Finals Rodeo this year, was announced.
She heard the clang as the chute was opened and the steer bolted out. She released her hold on the horse and gave him her heels. She kept her eyes on the steer's path. He was slowing and she edged her horse closer to him, goading the steer to keep a steady pace for Vin.
And then Vin was leaning down, grabbing the horns and launching himself the rest of the way from his horse, swinging his heels down into the dirt to change momentum.
Kaylee eased off her pace, slowing to an easy trot over to Vin's horse, now loose in the arena, and snagged the reins. She looked back.
Vin was standing to the cheers of the crowd while the steer scrambled to its feet and looked for an escape from the arena.
"Official time for Vin Tanner…" Murray announced overhead.
Kaylee held her breath. She had never been this nervous waiting for one of her own times.
"Four point two seconds."
All Kaylee's breath left her in a whoosh. What had felt like a lifetime had been less than five seconds.
Vin walked toward her and she held his horse until he reached her. He swung up in the saddle. "Nice run," he said.
She nodded, too much adrenaline still coursing through her to answer. They rode out of the arena together, back over to the small pen set up for the horses near Vin's trailer.
Alcott let out a shrill whinny when the mare saw them coming.
Vin smiled. "She's jealous."
Kaylee smiled as she dismounted. "Just ready to run," she said.
Vin took both his horses. "You go warm up. I've got them."
Kaylee thanked him and led Alcott out of the portable paddock. She tied her to the side of the trailer and went for her brushes and saddle.
It didn't take long to brush the horse down and lift the saddle onto her. Kaylee tightened the cinch, checked it, tightened it again. She would check it another time after riding Alcott around to loosen up. She could hear the announcer call for Buck Wilmington and JD Dunne. She slipped the bit into Alcott's mouth, listening for the cheers that would tell of a successful roping.
She was swinging up into the saddle as she heard the groans of the crowd.
"A nice try for Wilmington and Dunne," the announcer echoed across the rodeo grounds.
Kaylee walked Alcott towards the edge of the grounds, starting her out nice and easy. She knew JD would be disappointed they didn't score tonight, but smiled to herself knowing it wouldn't slow Buck down with the ladies who crowded in to meet any of the cowboys after.
She saw Chris with some of the other bull riders, they would be the last event, after barrel racing. He saw her and came over.
"Nice ride with Vin," he said.
Kaylee couldn't stop the relief that made her want to melt into a puddle every time she thought of it. "Thanks."
"You were looking good in your practice runs," he said, reaching out a hand to scratch Alcott's neck. "You feeling good about tonight."
She nodded.
"Ezra said he thought you might shave a full second off your PR tonight."
That jerked her attention around. "Ezra said that?"
Chris nodded, apparently focused on her horse. "Yep. Said you were looking good. Thinks your horse is impressive, too."
That was news to her. Since that horrible night when she had made a ridiculous fool of herself, waking him up with her nightmare, she had barely seen him, let alone spoken to him.
"Have you seen Ezra around?" she asked, curiosity winning out even when she knew it shouldn't matter to her.
"He was watching Vin's go-round. I imagine he'll turn up again for barrel racing," he said with a slight grin.
"Yeah, I doubt that," Kaylee said.
Chris looked up at her finally. He looked like he was weighing his words. He spoke slowly. "The thing about Ezra is he treats life like it's one big card game. Doesn't want to show his hand, assumes everyone is out to win against him. But that's all for show." He gave the horse a pat and stepped back. "Give him some time."
She had no idea why Chris was telling her this. She was Ezra's boarder, nothing more. And she knew his words shouldn't have her nodding, feeling like she cared about finding out who Ezra Standish really was.
"Good luck tonight," Chris said then, tipping his hat and turning to go.
Kaylee was too flustered to respond in time. She turned Alcott back to the path they had been on and moved her into an easy trot.
She settled into the routine that she had developed since her first summer on the circuit two years ago, and by the time the pickup truck was out in the arena, setting out the barrels, her nerves were gone and she wasn't thinking of Ezra.
Well, not much anyway. It was only normal to look and see if he was standing over by the fence with Buck and JD, or watching from near the medical trailer with Nathan. And it was no big deal that there was a dull feeling of disappointment when she didn't see him.
Kaylee was third up to ride and when her name was called, she nudged Alcott toward the entrance to the chute, prepared for the running start that would take them into the arena.
As soon as she got the go ahead, she took a deep breath, let it out. She leaned forward to give Alcott a pat on the neck, then settled back in her saddle. She looked out ahead, toward the first barrel she was going around, and kicked her heels into Alcott's sides.
It was going to be a fast run. She could feel it from the second Alcott took off, she leaned low over the horse's neck until they got to the first barrel, then she adjusted her balance as the horse went down nearly sideways to make a tight turn. Getting back upright, they had a straight shot to the second barrel.
Kaylee felt her knee hit the barrel as they came in too tight, but it stayed upright. Alcott's hooves slid a little on the loose dirt and Kaylee did everything she could to help the horse stay upright. The light rain earlier in the day was making the arena slippery. They made it around, the barrel and horse still standing, and Kaylee pushed hard to the final barrel.
She took the turn too sharp. This time Alcott did lose her footing and started to go down. Kaylee frantically tried to clear her foot from the stirrup on the side the horse was going to land on. Her shoulder struck the edge of the barrel hard with as she threw herself clear of the horse. The barrel was knocked over and her head hit against it before she hit the dirt landing on her knee first, then rolling once, twice, before landing on her back.
She didn't feel any pain at first, she laid there stunned. She blinked to clear her vision, she needed to see where her horse was, if Alcott was hurt. She heard the horse whinny, heard the silence from the crowd. The silence confused her. Rodeo crowds were never quiet unless something awful was unfolding in front of them. Then Murray's voice calling over the PA system, calling for a medic to come to the arena.
She tried to get up, but when she tried, she couldn't move her left arm to push herself up. She fell back into the soft dirt. Gritting her teeth, she tried again, but this time hands were on her, holding her down.
"Don't move. Just stay there." Ezra's voice was like an anchor of reassurance, in spite of sounding like he was out of breath. Had he been running? Kaylee tried to get her bearings. She looked up at Ezra, saw fear in his eyes. But that didn't make any sense.
"Alcott," she said, her voice tight. "I need to get to Alcott."
Ezra didn't let go of her, but she saw him look over his shoulder. "Vin is getting her."
Kaylee tried again to get up, to see the horse. "Is she hurt?" The fog was starting to clear, pain sinking in and, with it, the edge of panic. "Where's Alcott? She went down hard. Are her legs ok? Is she ok?"
And then Nathan was there, concern making his professional appraisal warmer. "You need to lie still, Kaylee. We're going to make sure nothing's broke."
"I'm fine," she declared stubbornly, though the pain was making her voice higher than normal. "I need to get my horse."
She saw Ezra motion someone over and Vin led the mare into her line of sight.
Alcott pranced nervously, but didn't favor any of her legs. Her gait looked sound and Kaylee finally let herself fall all the way back into the ground.
"She appears just fine," Ezra said. "Vin is going to walk her around some, make certain she's calmed."
Kaylee nodded, then regretted the movement and the way the muscles pulled against her shoulder, set her head to aching. She sucked in a sharp breath between her teeth. She saw the way Ezra's mouth thinned, the look he shot towards Nathan.
Nathan frowned. "That shoulder's dislocated for sure. And I can't tell if you tore anything in your knee. You got a good knock to the head." He turned and called to the knot of cowboys and barrel racers crowding along the fence to get the paramedics over with a stretcher.
"No," Kaylee said, wincing at the pain when she started to shake her head. "I can walk."
She started trying to push herself up again, groaning at the searing pain in her shoulder. Nathan started to argue, but Ezra shot him a look.
"I presume you've been on the circuit long enough to know it's a matter of pride to leave the arena on your own two feet," he said to Nathan.
Kaylee didn't know why he was helping her, but she was thankful he understood. She had worked so hard, done so much, to prove herself. Getting carried out of the arena would have been admitting defeat.
Ezra wrapped an arm around her, carefully avoiding any movement to her shoulder.
"On three," he murmured. She waited for his count, then made an effort to get her feet under her as he lifted. She stifled a cry of pain when she put weight on her left leg. The pain shooting through her knee made her see spots. Ezra noticed and adjusted accordingly, shifting her weight more toward him.
Once she was upright and took that first unsteady step, applause started trickling through the stands. The standing ovation was sober, without the cheers and whistles a winning ride would bring.
Kaylee lifted a hand in acknowledgement, but couldn't manage anything more. She dropped her hand, letting it rest on Ezra's arm where he had it wrapped around her waist.
She let out a small whimper at the pain and Ezra looked down at her, his face tight with worry.
"I'm alright," she lied. "Just get me out of here."
In reality, she didn't know if she could claim she walked out on her own two feet. But at least she was upright. And Ezra's firm arm around her, holding her against his side brought comfort and reassurance that laying flat on a stretcher definitely couldn't.
#
Ezra sat in the hospital waiting room, staring at a poster of a too-cheerful doctor encouraging everyone to not neglect their preventative care visits.
When he had seen Kaylee's horse start to skid, then realized the mare was going down, he had thought his heart would stop. The sound of her hitting the barrel still rang in his ears.
He had been standing with the bull riders, who were stretching and preparing for the next event, just back from the fence. But when she had hit the ground, he was already swinging himself over the fence. He didn't remember tearing across the arena, skidding to the ground next to her. He just remembered knowing he had to get to her.
And then she had kept asking about her horse, of all things. As if she hadn't just about had a two thousand pound animal land on top of her. He picked up his cell phone, intending to call Vin for another update on the animal. As soon as he could see Kaylee, he knew she would want to know how the horse was.
Before he could slide the screen to unlock it, Vin himself came into the ER waiting room.
Vin's eyes landed on Ezra and he made a beeline for him. "How is she?" he asked.
Ezra shook his head and set his phone aside.
"It's bad?" Vin's voice got quiet, tight with emotion and Ezra realized he had misinterpreted that shake of his head.
"No, nothing like that," Nathan answered from where he stood a few chairs away from Ezra. Ezra didn't think Nathan had taken a seat since they had arrived right behind the ambulance a half hour earlier. "We just haven't heard anything. She's down at MRI, getting some images of her knee and head."
Vin nodded then, some of the tension leaving his face.
"Her horse?" Ezra asked.
Vin tucked his hands into the pockets of his jeans, covered in dirt after his go-round throwing a steer. "Sound as the day she was born."
Ezra let out a sigh of relief. He didn't know why the horse meant so much to Kaylee, but she treated the animal like family and he didn't know what she would do if it had been bad news.
The sliding doors slid open again and JD and Buck came in with Casey.
"We had to wait for Casey's run," JD said. "We came as fast as we could."
Casey looked every bit as young as Kaylee with her eyes round with fear. "Is she…?"
"No news yet," Nathan said.
Casey took a shuddering breath and JD reached out to pull her over to him in an embrace.
"Josiah'll be here as soon as he can," Buck said.
Ezra assumed Chris would be with him. Josiah would convince Chris to stay and take his ride and Josiah couldn't leave until after the last event since he was one of the pick-up men whose job was to, literally, pick up the bull riders from the ground onto horseback and get them away from the agitated bulls.
The swinging door into the ER opened this time and they all straightened. A nurse came out and looked at the gathered crowd.
"Ezra?" she asked.
Ezra jolted at the sound of his name. He had expected her to go to Casey, maybe Vin, give them an update if they were Kaylee's emergency contact.
"She's asking for you," the nurse said.
Ezra didn't hesitate. He followed the nurse into the emergency room.
"They need to set her shoulder," the nurse explained as they walked quickly past empty rooms. "It's going to be painful and she asked if you could come in with her."
Ezra picked up his pace. He thought of how Kaylee had collapsed with a horrible sound of pain as soon as they had made it clear of the arena. She had finally agreed to let them load her onto the stretcher at that point, her eyes squeezed shut tight in pain.
The nurse opened the door to a treatment room for him and Ezra went in. Kaylee was about as white as the sheet on the gurney, her frame looking pitifully frail in the too-large hospital gown.
Ezra came to her side, covering her hand with his and giving it a gentle squeeze without realizing what he was doing. She held tight to his hand.
"We've given her something for the pain, and something to help her relax," a doctor told Ezra. "But it's going to hurt for a minute." He looked down at Kaylee. "Ready?"
Kaylee nodded, the drugs clearly making her a little sluggish, but not enough to erase the worry on her face. She looked to Ezra and he tried for a reassuring smile, though he was fairly certain it was lacking.
The doctor took hold of Kaylee's arm, braced another hand above her shoulder.
Kaylee's grip on Ezra's hand tightened and he leaned down closer to her. The desire to spare her this pain was a feeling he wasn't familiar with. There had been times he had wished to trade places with someone- Buck who laughed easily and enjoyed life without a care, Vin who had a quiet self-assurance that his moral compass would never lead him astray, Josiah and his faith. But he had never wanted to take someone's pain for them. Until now.
He winced, kept himself from making a sound as the doctor gave a firm tug on Kaylee's arm. When she cried out, he nearly turned around and landed a fist to the doctor's jaw. Instead, he reminded himself the man was doing what needed to be done and wrapped his other hand around Kaylee's.
"All done," the doctor said. "It's going to be sore for awhile, but should feel a lot better already."
Kaylee let out a long breath.
"I'm going to see what the MRI had to show and I'll be back."
Ezra waited until the man left and then let out his own breath.
"I have to ride tomorrow," Kaylee murmured. With her eyes closed, she almost sounded like she was talking in her sleep.
Ezra let out a laugh he didn't feel. "I highly doubt that will be possible, or advisable."
Kaylee opened her eyes then and looked at Ezra. "If I don't ride, I don't win. I got to get some prize money so I can get out of your way."
Ezra realized that somewhere over the last few days, he had stopped thinking about Kaylee moving out.
"No need to talk about that now," he said.
Kaylee's eyes fell shut again and she nodded slightly.
There was a knock on the door and Buck poked his head in. "She sleepin'?"
"Resting," Ezra said.
Kaylee opened her eyes and managed a wobbly smile for Buck, which he took as invitation to come into the room. Casey, JD, Nathan, and Vin followed in after him.
Ezra's seat next to Kaylee was pushed even closer as the group filled the room. He saw Vin and Buck's look at his hands, still wrapped around one of Kaylee's and moved to let her go. Kaylee tightened her grip slightly and turned her head to look at Ezra, concern on her face.
"Are you leaving?" He could hear her uncertainty and, though he had no idea why she would want him to stay when all the others were here now, he didn't want to be the cause of that fearful look.
"Of course not," he said quietly and stopped trying to move his hands.
"They set your shoulder back in place?" Nathan asked.
"Yeah," Kaylee said, the medication slurring her words slightly. "Hurt like a son of a—"
Ezra bit back a smile at this unedited version of Kaylee. This version who cussed like sailor and clung to him for support. That thought sobered him.
Another knock and this time the doctor came in. He looked at the crowd, trying to edge to the sides to give him room and avoid being kicked out. The doctor frowned, but didn't say anything about clearing out the visitors.
"Miss Timms?" he asked.
Kaylee blinked her eyes open, then narrowed them. "You're the one who yanked my shoulder. You're a real bas—"
"Ok, now darlin'," Buck cut in with a chuckle, coming to rest a hand on Kaylee's foot. "He's the one fixin' you up."
"Right," Kaylee said. "He's still awful, though."
The doctor looked less than pleased, but he didn't respond. He looked down at the tablet in his hand. "The good news is your knee is just bruised. It's going to hurt for awhile, but should be fine. Keep it elevated, ice it, rest it and it won't give you any problems. The bad news is you won't be able to manage crutches with your shoulder. So, I recommend taking it easy for the next week or so."
Kaylee frowned. Ezra knew she was thinking of the rodeo schedule. But before she could argue, the doctor was scrolling through to another report.
"And your head looks ok. A mild concussion. Again, take it easy for a week or two. If you have any nausea, blurred vision, difficulty waking up you'll need to come back in. Do you have someone who can stay with you, keep an eye on you?"
He saw the slight frown pull on Kaylee's lips, sensed Vin shift and start to answer. Ezra spoke before either of them could.
"I'll be available," he said. He glanced at Vin, ready to challenge him, but the man just gave Ezra the hint of a smile, and yielded any argument with a slight nod.
The doctor nodded distractedly. "Good. I'll send a nurse in with discharge instructions, have her wrap up that knee, and you can head out."
When the door closed behind him, Kaylee sighed in relief. She looked at Ezra. "I just want to go home now."
The words twisted his heart in a way it had never had before. He had thought of his camper as a refuge, shelter, a place to stay. But never as home. Until now, when he thought of Kaylee there with him.
He opened his mouth, but couldn't find the words he needed.
Buck spoke up. "Don't worry, Kaylee, Ezra's gonna bring ya home." He shot Ezra a look, warning him not to mess this up. "He's gonna take real good care of you."
Ezra didn't know if he was capable of taking care of someone else. Kaylee's hand was warm between his own and for the first time, he wanted to try.
#